New steps to combat water crisis

Published 10:54 pm, Friday, July 1, 2016

State Sen. Kathy Marchione, R-Halfmoon, announced late Thursday a number of actions the state plans to take to address the water contamination crisis that has ravaged Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh in Rensselaer County.

In a lengthy statement, Marchione said the actions came out of a two-hour meeting with state representatives, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State Operations Director Jim Malatras, and local elected officials that took place Thursday.

Those actions include securing a new water filtration system for the Berlin Central School District, an agreement that the state will pay for six months of water for Petersburgh residents, and an agreement that the state will provide $46,000 (and later seek reimbursement from Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics) to pay for a Hoosick water system feasibility study to expand the Hoosick Falls municipal water system.

Marchione said that future bio-monitoring and blood testing for residents in the village of Hoosick Falls, the town of Hoosick and the town of Petersburgh were discussed, though the statement did not indicate that an agreement was reached.

"These real results are not the end of this effort, but represent important progress," Marchione said in a statement. "Our collaborative effort continues to focus on the health, safety and well-being of our constituents in the village of Hoosick Falls, the town of Hoosick and the town of Petersburgh."

The meeting and announced actions come amid ongoing tensions between residents in that rural area of Rensselaer County and officials.

Residents landed a Capitol meeting with Malatras on June 15 where they vented outrage about what they see as a slow response from public officials to the PFOA contamination of their water supply.

Some residents and politicians have continued calls for legislative hearings on the crisis, though legislative leaders of both houses have shied away from scheduling them.